The alleged "Tumujgha Republic"

On 19 September 2007, the blog of the Parti National Touareg (PNT, Tuareg National Party) announced the creation of the République Touarègue Tumoujgha, scheduled to the 20 September 2007.
The "Act of Foundation" of the Republic starts with a long listing of
the grievances of the Tuaregs against the French colonial system and
the governments of Mali and Niger (some of them being fully relevant), and a call to the Declaration of the Rights of the Autochtonous Peoples, voted by the United Nations on 13 September 2007. Then the unsigned, collective act says:

[We] declare, as of today Thursday the 20th September 2007, the set
up of the République Touarègue Tumoujgha on the historical lands of the Tuareg nation, that is 2/3 of Niger and 1/2 of Mali:
1. The Tuareg Nation shall have for language Tamashek and for script
Tifinagh
2. It shall be a non-religious republic with its own army, called
taghd and its own government
3. The political capital of this republic shall be the historic town
of Agadez
4. Our State shall be democratic and based on Federalism
5. Our fundamental texts shall be included into the "Blue Book"
6. Our national anthem shall be Tanakra Tumest.
7. Our flag shall be [to be described below].

On 22 September 2007, the blog published a declaration by the
anonymous President of the République de Tumoujgha (further written
Tumoujga and Tumoufgha) calling the miltary forces and
administration of Mali and Niger to withdraw from the Republic and the
Tuaregs to come back to their homeland.
On 23 September 2007, the blog published a letter of the President of
the République de Tumoujgha (Pays Touareg) to the Presidents of
Mali, Niger, Libya and Algeria, introducing the new Republic and requiring the set up of pacific relationships.
On 1 October 2007, the blog published a letter of the President of the
Nation-État Tumoujgha and of the Peuple autochtone Touareg to the Secretary General of the United Nations, applying for immediate
membership.

The announcement of the Republic was freshly received in Mali and
Niger, causing political debates and mediatic quasi-hystery, as aired
in the last three messages posted by the President of the Republic on
the PNT blog (8 October, 13 October and 13 November 2007).
Tuareg leaders faithful to the Government of Mali quickly denounced
the Republic. Assarid Ag Imbarcawane, the Second Vice President of the
National Assembly, said that "a Republic shall not be proclaimed on
the Internet" and pointed out some inconsistencies in the "Act of
Foundation", especially the omission of the Hoggar region (Algeria)
among the "historical lands of the Tuareg Nation" (L'Indépendant, 27 September 2007).
Moroever, the map of the Republic published on the PNT blog also omits
Libyan territory, limiting the new state to Mali and Niger. There are
several more inconsistencies in the texts published in the PNT (a
party which does not seem to be know to anyone), especially in the
written form of the name of the Republic. The image of the "Blue Book"
bears the title République Amazighe de Toumoujagha - Le Libre
Bleu (Libre, "free", instead of Livre, "book").
There is even a second blog, very similar in its design and address to
the PNT blog, with only two messages - the "Act of Foundation", dated
25 September, and the message to the presidents of the neighbouring
countries, undated. Interestingly enough, this blog mentions "2/3 of
Niger, 1/4 of Algeria, a part of Libya and 1/2 of Mali", with the
matching map, showing parts of Libya and Algeria added to the Republic.

These facts seem to indicate quite clearly that the proclamation was
nothing but a hoax made by a prank (some blogs claim that the MNJ [Mouvement des Nigériens pour la Justice, Niger's Movement for Justice],
Islamists movements or the Government of Niger are behind the hoax,
but without producing any evidence). Unfortunately, several websites
and blogs have blindly reproduced the President's claims and announced
"the proclamation of the Tuareg national state" without the least
concern about the source of information: this is sad for the Internet,
which seems to be more and more the world's cesspool, and, mostly, for the
Tuaregs, who are really in a difficult situation and deserve much
better care.

Ivan Sache, 28 June 2008

Flag of the alleged "Tumujgha Republic"

Article 7 of the " Act of Foundation" of the Republic prescribes the flag as follows:

Our flag shall be made of seven stars representing the seven historic
confederations of the Tuareg Nation, on a blue field symbolizing the
purity of our sky; below a central yellow stripe symbolizing the
Sahara's sand, charged with the red letter Ezza (Z), symbolizing our
martyres' blood, with on the left a green triangle representing an
oasis.

That is, a yellow flag charged with a red Ezza letter, a green
triangle along the hoist and a thin blue stripe charged with seven
white stars on the top of the flag.
On the coat of arms, the base of the shield is green with some black
traditional decoration.

The seven historic confederations are detailed in the preamble of the
Act as "Ahaggar, Ajjer, Aïr, Azawagh, Adghagh, Tadamakkat and
Oudalan". The Tuareg tradition indeed reports these seven confederations
(kel, each ruled by a chief called amenokal), but the territories
they ruled is much bigger than the territory claimed by the Republic:
1. Ahaggar (aka Hoggar; Algeria and Niger)
2. Ajjer (aka Tassilin'Ajer; Algeria and Libya)
3. Aïr (Niger)
4. Azawagh (Niger and Mali)
5. Adghagh (Mali)
6. Tadamakkat (Mali)
7. Oudalan (Burkina Faso)
An article published in Temoust on 5 October 2007, analyzing the "Act
of Foundation", recalls that there are, historically, much more Tuareg
tribes and confederations than mentioned in the tradition and in the
"Act of Foundation".